1 Ephemeral Green
Chapter 7 – Slow Unveilling
Muraki let out one blood-chilling laugh under Farfello's single amused golden eye. « Marvelous, isn't it? » the mad vocalist grinned in a manner that would have scared a famished lion away. « I assume you'll want a part too, won't you? » he mused, tapping his chin with a finger. « What a formidable opportunity to let all of them taste our anger! »
« Them… » Farfello repeated in his raspy voice, an insane light flaring into his eye. Some people might wonder if the eyepatch he wore was a mere accessory to attract curiosity. The clinacally insane guitarist had very strange habits and had no real qualms at seeing blood, his own or other's. Muraki's blood didn't particularly interest him, though.
Chuckling darkly, the vocalist looked by the window and asked the moon « I wonder if he remembers me… »Behind him, in the kitchen, Farfello concentrated on trying to make an orange bleed. « Once they are all together… » the longer-haired madman gained a grin that would have made Machiavelli green with envy, « … we'll crush them »
After Brad paid the cab, he and the rest were bound for surprises both good and bad. The bad came first. Seeing all the boxes of furniture, supplies and home appliances on the dying lawn was very unpleasant.
« Oi, what's this stuff doing here? » Schu frowned, observing a set of beds.
« The door's not locked, but Nagi's not here » Gush' remarked after having a run inside the house.
Brad sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The current situation : the home reeked of paint and a lot of boxes and other objects were littering the front of it. The most sensible thing to do was to move all inside. He glanced back at gush, who was holding a sheet out.
« I found it inside » the teen said with a smile. « Think we should surprise Nagi? » he asked with a mischievous glitter in his strange red eyes.
Nagi arrived home to find everyone waiting for him. He was unprepared for this, not having expected anyone so as he opened the door, they could all see the sadness on his face. He might have quickly covered it, but some would not dismiss it as easily.
During the day the house furnitures and appliances were delivered and, as usual, Gush and Schu were arguing over what went where. Another element to add now, Brad trying to explain them, while shaking a paper in front of their faces, that he had already drawn a plan. He thought everything would have gone smoothly, but you just can't have two roosters in a pen. It seems Schuldich and Gush were always fighting over something. They just had to follow the plan. Was it that difficult?
The telekinetic had wisely decided to occupy himself in decorating another room, prefferably well away from where the argument was going on. His job wasn't the greatest, his heart not quite at it, his mind even less.
« Something's up with you »
The nasal voice surprised him, and he let out a gasp, whirling around. « Ah.. k-konichiwa » he stammered, hastily wiping his eyes.
Schuldich only observed him, silent. Nagi wouldn't tell him anything, and he wasn't one to poke around his friend's thoughts.. Okay, he poked around freely in Gush's, but it was to annoy him more than anything else. With the one in front of him right now, it was different, and he had to stop his urge to peek. « Hey, don't push yourself too ahrd » he smirked a little, ruffling the teen's hair. He didn't want Nagi to be on his guard and mistrust him. « We're taking a break, so if you want some tea or coffee you can come by the living room »
« Aa. » he breathed out, nodding. « Arigato, demo…. » he blinked once, glancing away as he wondered if he was any thirsty.
He was glad that Hisoka happened to drop on him at the Park, otherwise he wouldn't have eaten this morning… and since he was starving right now, if he hadn't gotten any breakfast he just might be close to collapsing. He didn't feel like getting anything to eat or drink though. Being alone, he got to think a lot and this had not been good. Strange though, since he managed to put this sadness aside for Hisoka but couldn't get rid of it now. « No thank you » he finally refused. « If the others wonder about dinner, tell them we can order takeout. The leaflets are under the phone » he then said, hoping to have them all distracted until early evening. He might feel like eating then… or at least he could pretend to be okay.
Schuldich didn't look very conviced, but maybe it was Nagi's very vivid imagination. Nonetheless, he did leave to deliver the message. « See you at dinner then » the redhead nodded before departing.
The German, he had to admit, was pretty good at gauging people's present moods. He was happy, having found such very good friends… even if they did argue a lot.
Gush' wanted to get chinese, but Schu demanded french cuisine.
…of course it absolutely did not occur to them that they could order from both places.
A few hours later, the lous nasal voice approached again from the corridor.
« Yo, Nagi! Soup's up! Or whatever it is, Gush whinned until… huh? » his voice dropped as he entered the room. « Ah, he's just incredible » he rolled his eyes, smirking. « Falling asleep like that » he kneeled down and shook him gently. « Na~gi. Rise and shine, boy-o. » After fruitless attempts to wake him up, he gave up and proceeded to get one of the room's bed ready. He was grateful that they washed the blankets after plugging the washing machine.
« I knew you hadn't gotten much sleep… I just wonder what else you're hiding » the redhead sighed lightly, settling him under the cozy dark blue blanket. Closing the curtains to block the coming sun, he glanced at the peacefuly snoozing teenager. « oyasumi » he breathed out, closing the door as he got out.
He made his way down the hall, to the small dining room.. or what could barely pass as one. The table hadn't been delivered yet.
« Nagi's still busy? » Gush' asked, mouth full of Egg Foo Young.
« Nah… found him in the lamb pen » he grinned.
« …huh? » Gush' blinked a few times, wondering when they had acquired a pen.. or lambs.
« Okay, you're not getting it. I thought it was good » he sniffed « When you count lambs, you fall asleep » he explained. « So he's catching a few Z's. »
« Oh. I get it now » he nodded before getting himself another seving of noodles.
Brad was eating slowly and methodicaly, as always. He was observing the house's plan, taking notes on what had been done and what had yet to be. It turned out that most of the hard work had been cleared. The whole place reeked of paint even if they had opened the windows first thing after coming in, but still.. it was getting close to be a home for them.
« Aaaahhh! » Gush suddenly screamed. « I,ll be late for work! » he then started shoving whatever he could, as fast as he could into his mouth.
It seems the other two were used to this scene « Remember to chew, Gush' » Brad suggested helpfully.
« You still work there? Eeew » Schuldich grimaced.
« Don't forget to brush your teeth before going » Brad once again spoke as the teen left the room in haste. « And try not to wake Nagi up »
« Boy is he noisy » the german rubbed his ear.
No word of aproval from the dark-haired man.. but no denial either. « We can be thankful that all this has happened while he has a week off from school. He will need some time to adjust and recuperate » he analyzed.
« That kid… he's doing a lot of stuff » Shuldich yawned lightly, peering at a plate of Moo Koo Har Pen. « Still… he only has Sunday left now. After that, he'll be back in hell. I wonder why he's doing all of this at once. »
« I have no idea. He doesn't talk a lot. In fact, I never heard him speak that much since we met. Maybe being with another teen has positive effects on him »
« You sure Nagi's a teen? There are times when I really wonder. » the redhead scratched an eyebrow. « I mean, he's the one who found this place and worked out what went where… » his voice trailed off, green eyes moving towards the corridor. « ..hmm.. feels like he's getting a nightmare. You think there's something he's not telling us? »
Brad had to agree, nodding. « Yes, there has to be. However, we will not pester him with questions and respect his privacy nor will we endlessly tease him. Right? » he asked, a strange glimmer in his eye. He knew the telepath well. This time though, he was wrong to remind him about all this.
« Hey, he's a nice kid, so I won't go read the book of his life without him telling me I can « he caught Crawford's look. « Ah… well, if I do that to Gush' it's because I… uh… I want to know if all this chinese stuff does weird things to his brain »
Not quite satisfied by the rushed answer, Brad could do nothing but roll his eyes. « I'll put the leftovers in the fridge. Could you write a note to Nagi? » he asked as he gathered the cartons.
« Sure thing, Brad » he agreed, dimly wondering if the teen would understand his scrawl.
All in all, Hisoka thought as he rested his head in the crest of his crossed arms, it had been a nice day. He felt good, and he should have hated himself for that, but something else dug at his brains.
Why was he longing for tomorrow?
« …Nagi » he found himself breathing out the name. For the first time in his life, he had a nice meal, and was unsure if the person he was with hadn't been even nicer. « Something's with him though » he murmured to himself, a hand toying with his cup of hot –now cold- chocolate, fingers running along the curved handle. He wondered if this underlaying sadness had been there since the beginning. If so, Nagi had skeletons in his closet. If not, then maybe he forced himself to forget his problems to enjoy the morning. Hisoka was puzzled at best. Nagi was… weird. He couldn't figure him out.
All he wanted was to hear him play the violin tomorrow.
Was that why he felt something tingling inside him?
« I'm stupid » his whispered comment was drowned by the scraping noise of his chair as he pushed it. Reaching inside his pocket, he drew a few yen and dropped them on the table before leaving this place.
He had some more thinking to do.
----- End Chapter 7
Chapter 7 – Slow Unveilling
Muraki let out one blood-chilling laugh under Farfello's single amused golden eye. « Marvelous, isn't it? » the mad vocalist grinned in a manner that would have scared a famished lion away. « I assume you'll want a part too, won't you? » he mused, tapping his chin with a finger. « What a formidable opportunity to let all of them taste our anger! »
« Them… » Farfello repeated in his raspy voice, an insane light flaring into his eye. Some people might wonder if the eyepatch he wore was a mere accessory to attract curiosity. The clinacally insane guitarist had very strange habits and had no real qualms at seeing blood, his own or other's. Muraki's blood didn't particularly interest him, though.
Chuckling darkly, the vocalist looked by the window and asked the moon « I wonder if he remembers me… »Behind him, in the kitchen, Farfello concentrated on trying to make an orange bleed. « Once they are all together… » the longer-haired madman gained a grin that would have made Machiavelli green with envy, « … we'll crush them »
After Brad paid the cab, he and the rest were bound for surprises both good and bad. The bad came first. Seeing all the boxes of furniture, supplies and home appliances on the dying lawn was very unpleasant.
« Oi, what's this stuff doing here? » Schu frowned, observing a set of beds.
« The door's not locked, but Nagi's not here » Gush' remarked after having a run inside the house.
Brad sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The current situation : the home reeked of paint and a lot of boxes and other objects were littering the front of it. The most sensible thing to do was to move all inside. He glanced back at gush, who was holding a sheet out.
« I found it inside » the teen said with a smile. « Think we should surprise Nagi? » he asked with a mischievous glitter in his strange red eyes.
Nagi arrived home to find everyone waiting for him. He was unprepared for this, not having expected anyone so as he opened the door, they could all see the sadness on his face. He might have quickly covered it, but some would not dismiss it as easily.
During the day the house furnitures and appliances were delivered and, as usual, Gush and Schu were arguing over what went where. Another element to add now, Brad trying to explain them, while shaking a paper in front of their faces, that he had already drawn a plan. He thought everything would have gone smoothly, but you just can't have two roosters in a pen. It seems Schuldich and Gush were always fighting over something. They just had to follow the plan. Was it that difficult?
The telekinetic had wisely decided to occupy himself in decorating another room, prefferably well away from where the argument was going on. His job wasn't the greatest, his heart not quite at it, his mind even less.
« Something's up with you »
The nasal voice surprised him, and he let out a gasp, whirling around. « Ah.. k-konichiwa » he stammered, hastily wiping his eyes.
Schuldich only observed him, silent. Nagi wouldn't tell him anything, and he wasn't one to poke around his friend's thoughts.. Okay, he poked around freely in Gush's, but it was to annoy him more than anything else. With the one in front of him right now, it was different, and he had to stop his urge to peek. « Hey, don't push yourself too ahrd » he smirked a little, ruffling the teen's hair. He didn't want Nagi to be on his guard and mistrust him. « We're taking a break, so if you want some tea or coffee you can come by the living room »
« Aa. » he breathed out, nodding. « Arigato, demo…. » he blinked once, glancing away as he wondered if he was any thirsty.
He was glad that Hisoka happened to drop on him at the Park, otherwise he wouldn't have eaten this morning… and since he was starving right now, if he hadn't gotten any breakfast he just might be close to collapsing. He didn't feel like getting anything to eat or drink though. Being alone, he got to think a lot and this had not been good. Strange though, since he managed to put this sadness aside for Hisoka but couldn't get rid of it now. « No thank you » he finally refused. « If the others wonder about dinner, tell them we can order takeout. The leaflets are under the phone » he then said, hoping to have them all distracted until early evening. He might feel like eating then… or at least he could pretend to be okay.
Schuldich didn't look very conviced, but maybe it was Nagi's very vivid imagination. Nonetheless, he did leave to deliver the message. « See you at dinner then » the redhead nodded before departing.
The German, he had to admit, was pretty good at gauging people's present moods. He was happy, having found such very good friends… even if they did argue a lot.
Gush' wanted to get chinese, but Schu demanded french cuisine.
…of course it absolutely did not occur to them that they could order from both places.
A few hours later, the lous nasal voice approached again from the corridor.
« Yo, Nagi! Soup's up! Or whatever it is, Gush whinned until… huh? » his voice dropped as he entered the room. « Ah, he's just incredible » he rolled his eyes, smirking. « Falling asleep like that » he kneeled down and shook him gently. « Na~gi. Rise and shine, boy-o. » After fruitless attempts to wake him up, he gave up and proceeded to get one of the room's bed ready. He was grateful that they washed the blankets after plugging the washing machine.
« I knew you hadn't gotten much sleep… I just wonder what else you're hiding » the redhead sighed lightly, settling him under the cozy dark blue blanket. Closing the curtains to block the coming sun, he glanced at the peacefuly snoozing teenager. « oyasumi » he breathed out, closing the door as he got out.
He made his way down the hall, to the small dining room.. or what could barely pass as one. The table hadn't been delivered yet.
« Nagi's still busy? » Gush' asked, mouth full of Egg Foo Young.
« Nah… found him in the lamb pen » he grinned.
« …huh? » Gush' blinked a few times, wondering when they had acquired a pen.. or lambs.
« Okay, you're not getting it. I thought it was good » he sniffed « When you count lambs, you fall asleep » he explained. « So he's catching a few Z's. »
« Oh. I get it now » he nodded before getting himself another seving of noodles.
Brad was eating slowly and methodicaly, as always. He was observing the house's plan, taking notes on what had been done and what had yet to be. It turned out that most of the hard work had been cleared. The whole place reeked of paint even if they had opened the windows first thing after coming in, but still.. it was getting close to be a home for them.
« Aaaahhh! » Gush suddenly screamed. « I,ll be late for work! » he then started shoving whatever he could, as fast as he could into his mouth.
It seems the other two were used to this scene « Remember to chew, Gush' » Brad suggested helpfully.
« You still work there? Eeew » Schuldich grimaced.
« Don't forget to brush your teeth before going » Brad once again spoke as the teen left the room in haste. « And try not to wake Nagi up »
« Boy is he noisy » the german rubbed his ear.
No word of aproval from the dark-haired man.. but no denial either. « We can be thankful that all this has happened while he has a week off from school. He will need some time to adjust and recuperate » he analyzed.
« That kid… he's doing a lot of stuff » Shuldich yawned lightly, peering at a plate of Moo Koo Har Pen. « Still… he only has Sunday left now. After that, he'll be back in hell. I wonder why he's doing all of this at once. »
« I have no idea. He doesn't talk a lot. In fact, I never heard him speak that much since we met. Maybe being with another teen has positive effects on him »
« You sure Nagi's a teen? There are times when I really wonder. » the redhead scratched an eyebrow. « I mean, he's the one who found this place and worked out what went where… » his voice trailed off, green eyes moving towards the corridor. « ..hmm.. feels like he's getting a nightmare. You think there's something he's not telling us? »
Brad had to agree, nodding. « Yes, there has to be. However, we will not pester him with questions and respect his privacy nor will we endlessly tease him. Right? » he asked, a strange glimmer in his eye. He knew the telepath well. This time though, he was wrong to remind him about all this.
« Hey, he's a nice kid, so I won't go read the book of his life without him telling me I can « he caught Crawford's look. « Ah… well, if I do that to Gush' it's because I… uh… I want to know if all this chinese stuff does weird things to his brain »
Not quite satisfied by the rushed answer, Brad could do nothing but roll his eyes. « I'll put the leftovers in the fridge. Could you write a note to Nagi? » he asked as he gathered the cartons.
« Sure thing, Brad » he agreed, dimly wondering if the teen would understand his scrawl.
All in all, Hisoka thought as he rested his head in the crest of his crossed arms, it had been a nice day. He felt good, and he should have hated himself for that, but something else dug at his brains.
Why was he longing for tomorrow?
« …Nagi » he found himself breathing out the name. For the first time in his life, he had a nice meal, and was unsure if the person he was with hadn't been even nicer. « Something's with him though » he murmured to himself, a hand toying with his cup of hot –now cold- chocolate, fingers running along the curved handle. He wondered if this underlaying sadness had been there since the beginning. If so, Nagi had skeletons in his closet. If not, then maybe he forced himself to forget his problems to enjoy the morning. Hisoka was puzzled at best. Nagi was… weird. He couldn't figure him out.
All he wanted was to hear him play the violin tomorrow.
Was that why he felt something tingling inside him?
« I'm stupid » his whispered comment was drowned by the scraping noise of his chair as he pushed it. Reaching inside his pocket, he drew a few yen and dropped them on the table before leaving this place.
He had some more thinking to do.
----- End Chapter 7